Cats, Cats, Everywhere!

This is an email I sent my Mom today,

"By the way, Klea has been waking me up at around 5am for the last 3 days with her barking. So this morning I finally got up to see what she was going on about. We went on the porch and there’s a cat! Sleeping on my patio chair! Like he lives there! What do you suggest?




Keep in mind that I already told Mr. Cat that he can’t live there but I’m looking for more suggestions."

This is what she sent back,

"Well, if that didn't work, I can't think of what might!!!! :)




Seriously, Gram used to plant Merigolds each and every year because they supposedly keep cats away ... and come to think of it I rarely ever saw any around ... .but then again we also always had dogs on the premises .... coincidence???"


So, I guess I'm in the market for marigolds. Yay, me.

Completely Unacceptable

I woke up this morning to find this:

And I let Klea know that it is completely unacceptable. We went on four walks yesterday. Four! The last one at 10:30p.

I got up at 6:00 this morning to find this still warm. Normally, we don't go out until 6:30 because she's afraid of all the buses. So, I can think of no reason for this outburst.

Which is why she's spending today in her crate. Like I said before I left, she wants to turn out like a puppy she can be treated like a puppy.

Say La Vee

Wilbur is in her new home now.

It feels like it took forever and I even accused the little booger of being cursed. Each time she was supposed to go to a new home something mysterious happened. The last time, my mom came down with a righteous cold that kept her off work for a day.

But the woman who took her was absolutely stoked. I gave her everything she would need to care for Wilbur, including her cage cleaning gloves, because, quite frankly, I wouldn't need it anymore. Except the microwave cart. I kept the cart.

I knew that taking care of Wilbur was too much for me. My love for animals doesn't run that deep. And I was sure that finding her a new home was the right thing for both of us. I just didn't plan on missing her so much.

Well, not so much but just enough. There is a noticeable absence in my home. There's no chirping. No scurrying. No bedding on the living room floor. All of things helped to make up the essence of Wilbur and I miss them terribly.

However, I can check one more thing off the To-Do List.

I'm not sure how Klea is handling it all. She still looks forward to our walks but there is a definite distinction between this Klea and the Klea of 3 weeks ago. She just mosies around now. We don't get much cuddle time and there's no one (Ginger) for her to have power struggles with. I think that losing Wilbur is only making it worst.

This morning while I was getting ready, she just laid under my bed feigning sleep. Even as I made for the front door to leave she didn't move. I had to call her and still she sauntered with no energy. I just hope that she's not falling into a depression.

We'll keep going on our half hour walks and enjoying some play time. And I'll try to implement more snuggle time. She absolutely loves that. Until next time...

This Is The Face Of A Killer

Yesterday, I came home to find things amiss in the new apartment. It wasn't just that my coffee table was moved. It was that Klea didn't want to go outside. She was leading me to the storage room where I found everything moved.

The dresser was in the middle of the floor with all the broken down boxes thrown around randomly. My luggage was thrown on top of my collection of grocery bags. I use those for Kay Dubs waste. And my black storage shelf was crooked.

My first inkling was to not panic and to call my Mom. I mean, Klea was just fine. And it didn't look like anything was stolen. After 30 seconds on the phone with Mom, it was clear that she hadn't been there. So I grabbed Klea, her leash, and my purse and headed to the car where I planned to call the police. That's when I noticed the ivy was missing.

I called Mom back and told her that I figured out the mystery and it had to have been the maintenance people. I did a walk through of the apartment and all of the little things I'd put on the move-in checklist was in a state of repair. I let Klea do her business and then booked it to the rental office. We had a contentious conversation about the purpose of a move-in checklist and the importance of 24-hour notice.

Apparently, Kay Dubs bit a repairman and I told them that's her job - she is a dog after all. We discussed appropriate scheduling for them to come and complete the work; it will be on Friday. And you know what else is happening Friday? I'm getting one of those sturdy chain locks that can also release by key. If they stomp in here again unannounced, I'm pressing charges.

Mommy's New Room

Little Miss is having the time of her life in the new place. You can't really tell in this photo but the whole apartment is jammed as tight as my room is. It's weird trying to fit 1100 sq ft worth of stuff into 600 sq ft of rooms. But that's OK, Klea seems to be acclimating well.

At least before the night drags on. I've put risers under the bed to lift it higher. She can now walk under it without stooping but it's harder for her to jump up onto it. A plus for me. A HUGE minus in the Book of Klea. She's used to sleeping right next to Ginger or in her crate. Her crate is set up in the storage room. She's not about to sleep in there by herself. And Ginger didn't make the transition with us. I've noticed that she keeps checking every room; presumably for Ginger.

She looked a little sad when I left this morning. It's not the first time I've left her in the new place. Sunday, I made sure to leave for little stretches of time just to get her used to the idea. And yesterday, I was gone for several hours picking up new things for our small place. But today, she seemed to understand that I'd be gone all day. It breaks my heart that she will be alone all day but Klea is pretty easy-going. And she acclimates well.

Fingers crossed for a smooth transition.